Realize
by Embyr7
Summary: Cammie lived her life as a normal civilian girl. Until the COC found out that Matthew Morgan had a daughter. Now they're out to get her. Zach and everyone else saved her, but can they train her to be a spy while keeping her safe? Zammie!
1. Midnight Blue Meets Green

**Cammie's Point of View**

Tomorrow was my best friend Nicole's birthday. I was at a strip mall shopping for her present. The mall was surrounded by a dense forest, and since it rained here often the trees were always tall and green. I was staring at a mannequin's outfit, wondering if it would look good on Nicole. But that was when I heard it.

A gunshot. I felt the bullet fly past my ear and through the glass of the store I was just looking into. Time seemed to go in slow motion. I heard screams and shouts echoing around me. I whirled around, eyes wide. I was just a normal, average-looking high school girl! Why would someone shoot _me_? A woman with piercing green eyes was holding a gun, pointed directly at me. My instincts took over and I sprinted as hard and fast as I could into the cover of the forest. My mouth was dry, and all I could hear were my boots slapping the ground and my labored breathing. I heard more gunshots fly past, missing me by a few feet. I heard them lodge themselves into the trees. Leaves and branches whipped my face, some cutting into my skin. But I didn't care. Getting cut up by trees was a whole lot better than _dying._ And then I heard footsteps. And they were gaining on me. Fast.

Suddenly, a bullet grazed my arm, causing my shirt to rip, and for streams of warm, sticky blood to start sliding down my arm. A strong hand grabbed my wrist and yanked me to a stop. I screamed, and looked into the exact same green eyes of my attacker.

**Zach's Point of View**

We had been assigned a real mission. And we were only in the 11th grade! My friends and I, Grant, Bex, Tristan, Macey, Jonas and Liz, go to Gallagher Academy. Blackthorne merged with Gallagher a couple years ago.

"You will be finding a girl," Mr. Solomon had said. "Her name is Cameron Morgan. She is a civilian."

"Then why is she so important?" Bex asked.

Mrs. Morgan, the headmistress, looked us straight in the eyes and said, "Because she is the daughter of Matthew Morgan. And the COC want her." **(In this fanfic, let's just pretend that Rachel and Matthew never got married...but Matthew was the best spy in the industry.)**

We had been looking for weeks, but haven't even found a clue. We were all up in a helicopter, looking down to see anything suspicious. And that's when I saw her. My mother. Otherwise known as the leader of the Circle of Cavan. She had just barely missed a girl who was window shopping. The girl turned around, and even from up here I could tell she was gorgeous. Her eyes widened and she started running. I think I found out girl...Cameron Morgan. For some reason, I already had an extremely strong urge to protect this girl.

"Let me down. Let me down now!" I shouted. Liz opened the door and dropped a ladder down. I climbed down and started running after the girl. She was a fast runner, but she was a civilian. With some spy training, one day she'll probably beat me in a race. Just before I caught up to her, a bullet grazed her arm. She didn't even wince. That was weird-she must be tough. I grabbed her small wrist, and she whirled around and screamed.

"Hey!" I shouted. She had started thrashing around, trying to get out of my grip. "It's okay. I'm here to protect you." I soothed. Up close, I could see her features more clearly. She had long honey-brown hair, reaching the small of her back. There were some gold highlights in it. She had even not-too-tan not-too-pale skin. But what was truly amazing about her were her eyes. They were a clear, dark blue. A blue that looks light blue in the sun, and almost black in the night.

"I'm not stupid." She snorted. "Where are you hiding your gun? In your shirt? Your back pocket? Just go ahead and shoot me then, and get it over with." Even though she sounded cocky, I could feel her trembling a little, and her eyes showed that she was afraid.

I blinked in shock. "You think I'm going to _shoot you? _I sweat to god I will not ever, _ever_ hurt you." I let go of her wrist and put my hands up defensively. "I'm here to save you from them." I jerked my thumb over my shoulder, motioning to the COC agents.

Her intense glare softened, and she finally looked at her arm. Blood was flowing steadily from her wound, and I saw her tip a little. I stepped forward and caught her.

"I'm a little light-headed from the blood loss." She tried to explain. She pressed her face into my chest. I couldn't help but chuckle while jogging to the helicopter, which they had landed about forty feet away.

"I know." I said.

"It's hurts." She whimpered, and I looked down to see tears squeezing out from under her thick lashes.

"I know." I said again, my chuckle gone. I heard COC members shouting behind us, and I ran faster. I saw Grant step outside the helicopter and start shooting the members gaining on us. Bex and Macey were on the floor of the helicopter, sticking their arms out of the door and shooting from there. I felt Cameron cringe into my chest when she heard his shots. We finally got into the helicopter, and Grant slammed the door shut behind us. I placed her down on the floor as Jonas lifted the helicopter up into the air. She was unconscious now, and Liz ripped her sleeve off and started cleaning her wound.

"Hmm. Oversized off-the-shoulder sweater, black scarf, black tights and ankle boots. I approve. I like this girl!" Macey exclaimed.

"_So _not the time, Mace!" Bex exclaimed.

"RPG!" Grant shouted. Great. They had launched an RPG missile at us. **(It's like a hand-held missile that you launch on your shoulder, and they're not as strong as like, a big missile. I guess.)**

And before any of us could even comprehend what was happening, we started falling out of the sky.


	2. We're Spies

_And before any of us could even comprehend what was happening, we started falling out of the sky._

**Zach's POV**

"I'm not done with her arm!" Liz shrieked frantically.

"Get down!" Jonas grabbed her and covered her body with his. Grant and Tristan did the same to Bex and Macey. I got Cammie. I folded my arms around her and held her underneath me. We spiraled through the air and hit the ground with an ear-splitting crash. Chunks of our propeller, which had broken when the missile hit it, landed around us with loud thuds, some pieces sticking out of the ground.

The walls of the walls of the walls of the helicopter were crooked and bent. We got off of the girls and checked if they were okay. We had some bruises here and there, but we were all fine. Liz never wrapped up Cameron's arm, so it was still kind of bleeding.

"Is everyone okay?" Sweet little Liz asked in her Southern twang.

Everyone replied with faint 'yeah's and 'yup's. Grant pushed open the emergency exit on top of the helicopter and hoisted Bex up. I scooped Cameron up and gave her to Grant, who was already up. We all were out of the helicopter and then Cameron woke up. Her midnight blue eyes opened, and she sat up in shock.

**Cammie's POV**

I opened my eyes and saw seven extremely attractive people around me. I gasped and sat up. I recognized the green-eyed boy and looked at him.

"What the hell is going on?" I exclaimed. They looked at each other and sighed.

"Let's go make camp first. It's getting dark." a gorgeous British girl said.

"I'm Zach." the green-eyed boy finally told me his name. With his defined jaw line and tousled brown hair, I know he would have been a total jock-jerk back at Roseville High.

"Cammie. Call me Cammie." I said. Zach hoisted me up and helped me slide off of the helicopter.

Wait.

When did I get into a helicopter? There were chunks of its propellers sticking out from the ground. We walked away from the huge mess – we walked for about half a mile. I was still pretty weak, so I was panting by the time we sat down.

The British girl and a boy resembling a Greek god gathered firewood, and got out a lighter and lit it. I was half-expecting them to rub sticks together until they created a spark.

I snorted at the thought. They looked at me weirdly and I blushed and looked down.

"So let's start with introductions. As you know, I'm Zach." He had sat down next to me, and everyone else sat around the fire in a circle.

"That's Bex." the British girl had medium-length dark brown hair.

"Macey." the girl looked like a model! She had short straight black hair and stunning ice-blue eyes.

"Liz." a blonde girl with a sweet face waved shyly at me. I smiled and waved back.

"Jonas." Zach pointed to a boy with wavy black hair. He was muscle-y, but the least muscled of all the guys in the group.

"That's Grant." He was by-far the most built one of the group. He had dirty blonde military-cut hair.

"And Tristan." He had black hair, also military cut. His eyes were a comforting hazel.

"So do you want us to call you Cammie, or Cameron, or..?" Bex asked.

"Cammie. Cammie or Cam is perfect." I smiled.

"You have the cutest smile. I love your dimples **(Yes. I am going to give Cammie dimples. :P)** And how is your skin so perfect? Do you use illegal products from Italy on that? Oh, and your outfit before it was all ripped? Cutest thing ever! We should-"

"Macey! You're scaring the poor girl!" Tristan cut her off.

My eyes were wide throughout her..rant, I guess you can call it. But out of the seriousness of our situation and her sudden outburst about clothes, I started laughing. Hard.

They all stared at me in shock.

"That," I giggled. "Was the most random thing ever. But thank you."

"That's Macey for ya. The beauty expert. Jonas and Liz are the geniuses, and Grant and Bex are the strong ones. Tristan and I have an equal amount of smarts and strength." Zach smirked, his emerald eyes glittering through the darkness.

"Oh, and one thing we forgot to mention?" Grant looked at me.

"We're spies." they all said in unison.

**Phewf! Ohk. I'll respond to the reviews I got and such. ^_^**

**Uhmm. First reviewer didn't have a name. ]': But to my first reviewer: Thank you. I wasn't so sure about this story until you reviewed. It gave me confidence.[: **

**missmareexx: Thank you! :D **

**Pinkskates: You are the sweetest thing . Happy reading! Ahha.3**

**My-Haters-Are-My-Motivators: Omg. I love your name. Ahahahah. Thank you, booger.^_^ Ahahah ohk don't take that the wrong way. I call people I'm fond of boogers... **

**I-Am-Nerd97: Thanks! Happy Christmas and Merry New Year to you too3 **

**lalalaitsme: Ohh. Well Cammie was at a strip mall. I mentioned it in like, the first or second sentence. And no, people..a strip mall is not a mall where...ohk. It's like a bunch of stores all lined up in a square shape and people are outside-yea. So it was surrounded by the forest. **

**: Booger, I love you.3 Again about the booger thing...read up there^^ Anyways. You reviewed on like, all my stories this morning. Or night to you. Or whatever. But anyways yea they made me smile. . Thank youu3**


	3. On The Forest Floor

**Hi guys![: I'm back! Ahahah. If you enjoy this story, you could check out my other stories on Gallagher Girls: Flee, Captured and Stuck. A lot of you guys do read them and you guys review on like, EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER and I seriously love you guys for it.[': **

**celery: Awh, thank you so much! :'D I'm updating right now, don't fret! Lol.**

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**I-Am-Nerd97: Thank you tons! Ahaha yea, the whole Macey rant thing came naturally to me, 'cause that's something that I can see her actually doing in the books. :]P**

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**Anon: I'm writing more! Don't worry. ^_^ This is gonna be a pretty long story-probably 15 chapters at least. Thanks for reviewing!**

**pigeonfollower: OHMYGALLAGHER! - that's cute. I'm stealin' that from now on. XD I flippin' dippin' love youu! Ahaha I probably would've burst out laughing, too. Join the crew. [; **

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_"We're spies." they all said in unison. _

**CPOV**

I snorted. Spies? Really? Come _on_. We're not in a James Bond movie here.

"Oh, really. And I'm a flying rainbow magical pixie unicorn!" I replied sarcastically. They raised their eyebrows.

"We're being serious, Cam." Zach stared at me.

"Uhmm, ohhh-kay. Whatever you wanna believe, Zach.." I patted him on the back. He glared at me.

"Tristan. Up." They both stood up and faced each other. They stared at each other for a moment, and I raised an eyebrow. How is this going to prove that they're 'spies'?

Suddenly, so fast that I could barely see, Zach's foot collided with Tristan's head.

Well-I thought it collided. I was sure it was going to. I almost screamed. But then Tristan ducked and grabbed Zach's uplifted leg, and tried to flip Zach over his shoulder, still crouched on the ground. While Zach was in the air, he grabbed Tristan's shoulders and pushed him down onto the floor, making Tristan release his foot. Zach used the momentum he got from pushing off of Tristan's shoulders to do a full flip in the air and land on his feet.

By that time Tristan was on his feet again, and Tristan tried to punch Zach in the face. Zach dodged. This went on for about five minutes, and I had to strain my eyes to keep up with what was going on. This was..unreal! Not even people with black belts in karate or anything could do.. _this_.

After a while, they stopped and looked at me. My eyes were wide, my mouth open.

"Believe us now?" Zach smirked. I shrugged.

"A little," I answered honestly.

"What's it going to take for you to believe us..all the way?" Tristan groaned. "I went through all of that for nothing?"

But they weren't even breathing hard-in fact, if I felt one of their pulses right now, it would probably be steady and normal, like they were sitting on the ground in the circle the whole time. Suddenly, everybody but me jumped up and whipped their heads to the left. I quickly scampered to my feet and looked that way, too. But all I saw were a whole lot of trees and darkness.

"Did you guys.." Macey whispered.

"Hear that?" Grant finished.

"Yep. Definitely heard something." Jonas replied. Suddenly, a deafening noise scared the whits out of me, and a bullet practically flew through my hair.

Come on. Being shot at twice in a day? That is so unfair.

"Cammie!" I heard everyone shriek. I heard the bullet lodge itself into a tree.

"It's cool. It didn't hit me." I said shakily.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S _COOL_? YOU ALMOST DIED." Liz half-sobbed. Suddenly, a bunch of people-looking a lot like the people who were chasing me down earlier-sprinted from the trees and started fighting us. I watched, wide-eyed, as Liz, Macey, Bex, Grant, Tristan, and Zach do exactly what Tristan and Zach were doing, except hitting and kicking a lot harder. Jonas and Liz were going around to the unconscious bodies and sticking these weird white patches on them.

"Zach!" Grant yelled. "Get her out of here! We'll find you guys later!" I didn't hear a response, I just heard a man groan and fall to the ground. Suddenly, Zach was right next to me and he grabbed my hand.

"Come on. We're moving." He said gruffly. I looked back at everyone else, wide-eyed.

"But they're-" I started.

"Cammie, _come on!_ We have to go. They're here for you. They want _you_." Zach started running, and I had no choice but to follow.

"Hey!" One of the people in black shouted. "She's getting away! Get her. Get her!" I looked back, my eyes wide.

"Just keep running. Number one rule to being a spy? Never look back." Zach slowed a bit so he was behind me, and he ushered me forward. I ran as hard and as fast as I could, and I could hear footsteps After a while, I couldn't hear the footsteps anymore. I tried to stop, but Zach grabbed my hand again, telling me to keep on going.

"If you don't let me stop running," I panted out. "My lung is going to _pop_."

"Sorry." He stopped, and I literally collapsed to the ground. My throat was dry, the world was spinning and I felt like I was going to barf. We were running at a full sprint for 30 minutes non-stop, and Zach was barely even breathing irregularly. "I forgot you were a..civilian."

I rolled my eyes. "How much further do we have to go?" I whined. Zach thought about it.

"Here is good. I can tell you're exhausted. We're going to have to sleep on the ground, though."

"Good. I'm comfy down here." I said up to him. He chuckled. He laid down with me, and through the thick canopy of trees, I could see some stars shining brightly.

"So tell me about yourself." He said. I rolled my head to the side and raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged

"Okay..my favorite color is coral. I love Taylor Swift and He Is We. I like singing but I'm horrible at it. I can play violin and guitar. I love rain-so if it's raining you'll most likely find me outside. Ummm...I really like bread. It's my favorite food to eat. Buns, coconut bread...stuff like that. What about you?"

"My favorite color's grey. I like The Killers and Coldplay. Um. No musical talents. I like rain, too. Sunshine is too..hot." He laughed. I giggled. "What about your family?" He looked at me, and his green eyes shone through the darkness.

I was silent for a few minutes.

"There's not much to tell." I began. "I mostly just stayed at my best friend's house. I'm adopted, by the way. My mom is a workaholic and is never home, and my dad.." I trailed off.

I wonder if I should tell him.

I feel like I can trust him, but I've known him for what? Half a day?

"Your dad what?" He whispered.

"Nevermind. I can't tell you." My lower lip trembled a bit.

"You can't tell me? Bet it can't be worse than my family issues." Zach smiled bitterly and slung an arm over his eyes.

"...My adoptive father would abuse me whenever my mother wasn't around. And she was never around, so.." I trailed off, staring at the stars. He was real silent, and I could hear him breathing. He peeked at me from under his arm and rolled onto his side.

He pulled me close and nuzzled my head under his chin. My eyes widened, surprised.

"Zach..?" I mumbled into his shirt. He smelled _extremely _good. I relaxed into him, his body heat making up for the cold of the ground.

**ZPOV**

"...My adoptive father would abuse me whenever my mother wasn't around. And she was never around, so.." Cammie trailed off, looking back up at the sky, blinking back tears. My eyes widened under my arm, and I didn't know what to say. I just laid on my back like an idiot for a few minutes. Finally, I looked at her and rolled onto my side.

She just looked so sad and alone..so I pulled up into my chest and rested my chin on top of her head, her face nuzzled into my neck. I could feel her long, thick eyelashes brush against my skin whenever she blinked, and it took a lot not to shiver.

Her body was tense, but then I felt her relax.

"My mom is the leader of a terrorist organization and my father is dead." I stated simply. I felt her tense with surprise, her eyelashes brushing my neck rapidly.

"...You're right. Yours is worse." She whispered. I sighed and pulled back to look at her gorgeous eyes.

"It's not a competition, Cam." I chuckled. She simply shrugged. I grabbed her hand and pulled it up, and rolled up the sleeve. I saw tiny little bruises and red marks, and I glowered at them.

Why in the world would anyone abuse their child that they _adopted_? It just didn't make sense to me. She pulled her arm back and rolled her ripped-up sleeve back down.

"He hasn't..hit me in a long time. I'm glad." She whispered. My heard almost broke in half. Hey! I might be an emotionless stone on the outside, but on the inside I have feelings too. I'm just better at hiding them.

"I won't let him hit you any more. He won't ever, ever hit you again, Cammie." I said.

"I wish I could say the same to you. About your mom." She whispered.

I raised my eyebrows. "You know my mom is the one that's after you."

She hesitated. "I kind of figured that. But..you're not like her. I can tell. You practically give off waves of..good."

I smirked. "Well, I _am_ Zach Goode."

She laughed loudly, one of her legs kicking up in the air. "That was _so _lame."

I looked at her fondly. The way the moon's rays made her eyes shine, how she smelled like strawberries even after we had been tramping through the woods for most of the night, how her hair was soft and perfect and framed her face...

I seem to care about her a lot more than most people in this world.

No one's ever wiggled their way into my heart this quickly. It was..different. The feeling I have is strange. It's not a feeling of friendship, but it's not quite a feeling of love yet, either. It was in-between.

But I knew that in about a month? I was probably going to love Cammie. The way she smiles, the way she laughs, how she's sarcastic and rolls her eyes when I'm trying to be annoying.

But loving Cammie is probably going to be the worst decision of my life.

**Soooooo...did you like? :D**


	4. Pulling Her Away From Danger

**I-Am-Nerd97: Happy extremely late New Year to you too! And thanks so much for saying that-your review was so sweet.[:**

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**AussieGallagherGirl: Yes, our wittle Zachy-bear is falling head-over-heels for Cammie. XD Thank you for reviewing! **

_But I knew that in about a month? I was probably going to love Cammie. The way she smiles, the way she laughs, how she's sarcastic and rolls her eyes when I'm trying to be annoying._

_But loving Cammie is probably going to be the worst decision of my life._

**Zach's POV**

Cammie snuggled up into my chest for warmth and immediately fell asleep. I felt bad for her. She has been hunted from the Circle since her father died, and she didn't even know it. She wasn't a spy, so she couldn't protect herself. She must feel so vulnerable. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around her, drifting off, swearing to myself that until she could protect herself, I would.

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping annoyingly. I groaned and rolled over, but my arm was stuck under something. I opened my eyes and waited for my vision to focus. I was surprised when I saw Cammie's head laying on my arm, using it as a pillow.

The memories came rushing back to me, and I immediately lifted my head up, looking for danger. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, so I laid my head back down and looked at Cammie. She was still sleeping, and her arm was lightly slung around my waist. I smiled gently at her and watched her eyelashes flutter open, the shadows dancing across her pronounced cheekbones.

Her piercing blue eyes met mine and widened, and I realized that, just like me, she had to take a moment to remember the hectic events of last night.

"Good morning." I smirked at her. She blinked and smiled softly.

"Morning." She replied. We sat up and stretched, and I helped her pick all of the leaves out of her thick, long hair.

"Are your friends going to be able to find us?" Cammie asked. We were walking back the way we came-I'm sure the Circle wouldn't have stayed at our camp for long. Maybe my friends were still sitting there, waiting for us to come back.

"Probably. We're trained spies, after all." I stated. We walked and walked and walked, and I could tell Cammie was getting extremely tired. She probably hasn't eaten since yesterday morning, and she wasn't trained for all of this exertion on an empty stomach.

"Are you tired?" I asked softly.

"Just a little hungry." She replied. I hesitated, but then stopped in front of her and motioned for her to climb on my back. She laughed, and it echoed through the trees sweetly.

"It's okay, I can walk."

"No, really. Up you go."

She climbed onto his back and I stood straight, supporting her weight with my arms under her thighs, giving her a piggy back ride. For the first few minutes she was stiff and uncomfortable, but after a while she gave up and nuzzled her head into my neck.

"I'm hungry." She whined. I chuckled.

"I know. I'm sorry. We'll find food right after we find everyone, alright?" I comforted her.

"Alright. Am I heavy?"

She wasn't, actually. Not at all. I wasn't having trouble in the slightest.

"Not at all." I answered honestly.

I could tell we neared our campsite when we started seeing chunks of helicopter sticking out of the ground. I let her down then, worried that I might trip and she would go flying. I held her hand and led her through the uneven ground, catching her whenever she tripped. We got back to the campsite, and I was so sure that they would be sitting there, waiting for us.

Bex and Grant would be arguing, Liz and Jonas would be sitting together on a log, blushing and talking about nerd stuff, and Macey and Tristan would be making out.

But Cammie and I arrived, and we were met with the remains of our log last night and a lighter that belonged to Grant lying next to it on the ground.

Suddenly, I heard Bex scream. Cammie grabbed my arm in fright, and looked up at me with wide eyes. I grabbed her hand again and ran towards my friends. Maybe I would hide Cammie in a tree or something so that they couldn't get her while we fought. Could they have been fighting all night?

We ran closer to the noise-I heard grunts, shrieks, groans and loud thumps, and we ran closer and closer, the noise getting louder. Suddenly, I heard Bex scream again.

That was odd. It was the exact same pitch as the last scream, and it lasted for about the same amount of time-shit. I gasped, realization hitting me.

"Cammie. Cammie turn around, it was a trap. We have to go back now!" I shouted, spinning Cammie around and, for the second day in a row, pulled her away from danger.

But it was too late. Circle agents have already surrounded us, and I saw one holding a type of spy equipment that recorded fights, and would play it back, making the noises come from different directions so that it sounded more realistic.

"Ah, ah. A little too late, now aren't we, Zachary?" One stepped out and chastised me.

I glared and didn't respond, just held Cammie to me.

"You have two options. Give us the girl, and you can go without a fight. But if you try and be her _sweet little prince charming_, we're going to have to play dirty." he said, taking a knife out and running his fingers along the blade delicately.

I saw Cammie's expression change, and I looked over to her face to see her utterly creeped out.

"Over my dead body." I spat. And, with those words, they charged. I pushed Cammie behind me, keeping one hand on her at all times. I kicked up and squared some guy in the jaw.

I punched and kicked and swiped their feet out from under them, always having a hand on Cammie to make sure she wasn't pulled away from me while I was distracted. She threw some punches of her own, which were pretty good for a civilian. When she kicked some guy where the sun-don't-shine, I almost started laughing.

Suddenly, I felt something hit my head, hard. My eyesight blurred out and my breathing hitched.

_No._ I thought in my mind. I wanted so badly just to black out, but I remembered I had someone important to protect. I couldn't remember who..wait. What?

I collapsed to the ground, and the last thing I heard was her scream.

**Cammie's POV**

Someone hit Zach in the back of the head with a giant piece of our exploded helicopter, and his hand that was always on me drew away. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

I screamed his name, and tried to fight the people who were taking me away.

After a while, they injected my arm with something, and I slumped down in their arms, unconscious.

I woke up in a cell, just laying on the floor. I wasn't chained to anything, or tied to a chair. I tried to stand up, but it felt like I haven't eaten in weeks, and my head was spinning. I think I would've thrown up if there was something in my stomach. I jumped when I heard voices outside the door, and I crawled over to it and pressed my ear against the crack. I couldn't pick up the whole conversation, just words that sounded like "honeypot" and "daughter of.."

Suddenly, someone came in and I crawled back to where they set me down.

I pretended to be asleep, and I heard them close the door. They sat in front of me, and whispered,

"I know you aren't asleep." I opened my eyes and they widened. I was looking into the face of...Zach?

"Wha..?" I squinted, looking closer in the dim light. What was Zach doing here? For a moment my heart rejoiced. He would get me out! He promised me that he wouldn't let anything hurt me. And he would keep that promise. I'm sure of it.

But as I looked closer, I noticed differences. His eyes weren't the same piercing green as Zach's. They were a dull green, and they looked lifeless compared to Zach's, but still pretty. His hair was dirty blonde instead of brown, and it was shorter than Zach's messy hair.

"I'm Will." the boy in front of me smirked. And it wasn't Zach's annoying smirk that kind of grew on me-his smirk was evil and arrogant.

"Good to know." I spat out sarcastically, not in the mood for introductions.

"And you're Cammie. Nice to meet you, Cammie. You probably thought I was my brother Zach. But Zach is currently dying in a forest, where his body will rot and animals will eat him." Will laughed.

I stared at him in horror. How could he just talk about his own _brother _like that? Will stopped laughing and inched towards me, his face serious now. What is he doing?

"You're very pretty, Cammie." He murmured, moving closer. He placed his hands on either side of my head and leaned closer, looking at my lips. I pressed my head against the wall and tried to wriggle out. He trapped my legs with his knees, and before I knew what was happening, he kissed me.


	5. Conflicted Emotions, Reverse Psychology?

_"You're very pretty, Cammie." He murmured, moving closer. He placed his hands on either side of my head and leaned closer, looking at my lips. I pressed my head against the wall and tried to wriggle out. He trapped my legs with his knees, and before I knew what was happening, he kissed me. _

**Cammie's POV**

I gasped and tried to push him away, but he leaned harder against me, crushing me against the wall. I finally shoved hard enough for him to back off, but he just looked at me and smirked.

I was speechless. Utterly shocked and angry and..._what the hell just happened? _

"What the hell!" I exclaimed, voicing my thoughts. He shrugged.

"What can I say? You're hot. Didn't put that much effort into the kiss, though. Would you like to try again?" Will wiggled his eyebrows. I wanted to slap him. And then shove him into a hole. And then pull him back up and then push him into a sharp pillar.

"No." I glared at him stonily, bringing my knees up to my chest.

"Don't worry. We'll give it another go tomorrow." Will winked at me, walking out the door, his name being called on the intercom. I wanted to throw something at his head. I looked around for a rock or something, but I found nothing.

I touched my lips, staring into space. My lips were still slightly bruised from his.

What was _happening?_ A couple days ago I was living my normal life which included school, shopping, my best friend, my horrible family...now I feel like I'm in a James Bond movie or something. Believe me – at first it was pretty cool. Now I would give anything for this all to be a dream. A couple tears slipped down my cheeks and I ran a hand through my messy long hair, untangling my knots just to give me something to do.

Where was Zach? Where was Bex and Jonas and Tristan and everybody else? I was so confused. So many emotions were whirling around inside my body that I felt like I was going to implode. I was shaking and sobbing and it was utterly pathetic. I needed to man up!

I needed to be strong.

For everything – I was strong whenever my 'dad' hit me, and I could be strong now. But it didn't work. Being hit by your adoptive father and being locked inside a dark room with people claiming they were spies with random hot boys with annoying smirks kissing you...those situations were a lot different.

So I curled up in my corner and tried to sleep, tears silently slipping out of my eyes. My throat got slimy and I closed my eyes to see those colorful spots behind my eyelids. I focused on them, trying to stop bawling. But the tears just squeezed through my lashes. Suddenly, Will came back in and saw me crying, the door making the loud creaking noise that I was becoming accustomed to. It made me jump up, and my watery eyes made contact with his. His eyes softened and he walked over to me. I hid my face behind my hair, wishing he would go away.

He stood there silently for a few minutes while I sniffled and tried to correct my breathing. His face was scrunched up, as if he was trying to decide on something extremely important. He sighed and sat down, pulling me into his lap.

"What are you _doing_?" I choked out, struggling against him. He just locked me there with his arms and stroked my hair, making me lean into his chest.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. I blinked and stopped struggling.

What.

I was even more confused now. Why was he being _nice _to me? Was this a trick? What about Zach? He was rubbing my back – because I was hiccuping from crying – and tucked my hair behind my ears, wiping tear marks off my cheek with his thumb, only for those to be replaced with new ones.

He was being so nice and sweet I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and snuggle into his shoulder. But I knew something was up, so I stayed tense in his lap.

"Cammie. I'm sorry." Will said again. I just nodded, not looking at him. "My mom just...she told me to honeypot you, but then I saw you crying and you know Zach, right? I loved him. I love him. I miss him. We were the best of friends when we were little, even though we were brothers. And it just seems that – I don't know." His voice lowered down into a whisper, his light green eyes dropping down to the floor.

Should I believe him? His face was so sad and it looked like he was about to cry.

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. I stared at a spot on the floor – it looked suspiciously like a blood stain. Considering I _am_ in a cell where they held prisoners, it wasn't unlikely.

I heard mumbling outside of the door, and Will stiffened. He gently placed me back on the ground, stood up, and whispered, "Moan."

I blinked. "What?"

"Moan! I'm supposed to be honey-potting you, remember? Hurry."

I let out the most unbelievable moan, but the mumbling outside the door stopped, and it seemed as if they were listening in. I didn't even know what honey-potting _was._

Suddenly, Will let out a moan, too, even though his face was completely even and his body was alert, standing with his face towards the door. At least his was believable.

I almost laughed.

Will backed himself up into a wall and made an audible thump. I heard the footsteps walk away and Will looked at me with amused eyes.

"What was _that?_" I asked.

"I'm supposed to be honey-potting you, so it had to seem like we were kissing. The other option was to torture you for the information. I'm supposed to make you fall in love with me and then weasel it out from you." Will explained. I shuddered a bit.

Gross.

He shrugged.

"It's effective."

I glared at him, and he smirked.

"So...I just kind of saved your butt. Now wouldn't be a bad time for that kiss..." He suggested. I had to bite back a laugh – he just looked so hopeful. I rolled my eyes instead.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and we both jumped, our heads whipping around.

A beautiful, scary woman walked into the room, power practically radiating off of her skin.

"Hello, Will. Cammie." She said, her voice cold.

"Hi, Mom." Will rubbed the back of his head nervously. I just kept still on the floor, looking up at her. They started talking, and walked out, but not before Will turned around and gave me a wink.

I sighed and leaned my head back against the wall, closing my eyes.

About half an hour ago, Will had been evil, annoying, stupid, arrogant, and I wanted to straight-out kill him. But now...now he was sweet and funny and...okay, he was still stupid and annoying, but it was a good stupid and annoying.

Was he telling the truth? Did he really still love Zach?

Well, if he was going to go out with the plan, he wouldn't have told me the plan, right?

Unless he was just saying that so that I would think he was really falling for me, and that would cause me to fall for him too. So it was like reverse psychology?

What?

I replayed what had just happened to me in my mind a million times. This is the most I've ever analyzed something so much other than those stupid poems I got in english.

I didn't even think this hard in math class.

I already knew that I was starting to really, really like Zach. He was adorable, sweet, sarcastic, funny, protective, and he already knew almost everything about me. He was the only one who knew about my dad.

But Will...he was sweet and funny, too. He was no doubt good-looking, and he held me when I cried. And he's supposed to be bad but he said he didn't like it anymore and that he was just following his mom's orders, but he could be lying.

But a part inside of my heart knew he was telling the truth.

And I wanted to get him out.

I wanted him and Zach to see each other and become brothers again.

I want so many things. Was it selfish of me?

I wanted my life to go back to normal. I wanted my dad to stop hitting me. I want to fall in love. I want to grow up and get married and get my dream job. I wanted to be normal. But I knew if I were normal, I wouldn't have Zach or Will. I've only known them for a couple days, but I was beginning to become closer to them than anybody else.

I groaned in frustration.

What was I going to do?

**And there you go![: Another chapter. I hope you liked it! Please review!**

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	6. I Told You I Would Protect You

_I wanted my life to go back to normal. I wanted my dad to stop hitting me. I want to fall in love. I want to grow up and get married and get my dream job. I wanted to be normal. But I knew if I were normal, I wouldn't have Zach or Will. I've only known them for a couple days, but I was beginning to become closer to them than anybody else._

_I groaned in frustration._

_What was I going to do?_

**CPOV**

The door opened, and Zach stood there, his green eyes staring at me, a protectiveness in his eyes.

"Zach?" I exclaimed, hopping up.

"Cammie. Oh my god." Zach ran up to me and hugged me, while I clung to his neck and cried. Suddenly, he was being pried away from me.

His hands were still reaching out for me, and I tried to grab them.

"Zach!" I screamed, trying to run after him. But he kept getting farther away, his eyes glazed over, no longer burning with passion.

"Cammie!" I gasped and sat up, not looking into the bright green eyes of Zach, but the light green ones of Will.

"What? Where's Zach?" I whispered, biting my lip. Will hesitated, his forehead crinkled.

"Zach was never here, Cammie. He...what are you talking about?"

"Zach was here! I – we hugged, and..." I trailed off, confused.

"You were sleeping. You were trashing around – I think it was a dream."

"No, he was here." I stated firmly, pulling out of Will's arms and looking around, standing up.

"He wasn't. I've been trying to wake you up for thirty minutes now. You're a very deep sleeper, by the way. He wasn't here, Cam." Will looked at me with concern in his eyes. I didn't know if I could trust him yet or not. He could be lying to me.

I sighed and leaned against the wall, sliding down. My sudden burst of excitement at the thought of seeing Zach again was gone, and my legs felt like jello.

"He said he would protect me." I was completely flat on the floor now, an arm slung over my eyes. I was whispering more to myself than Will.

Oh, man up, Cammie! Protect yourself.

A part of me wanted Zach to be my knight in shining armor, for him to rush in, hug me, and get us out of here, safe and sound.

But another part of me wanted to train, to learn how to fight, and to break myself the hell out of here.

"He's probably doing all he can right now." Will said in a hushed voice. Suddenly, Will laughed loudly.

"Oh, you like that, do you?" He randomly said. I realized there were people nearby again.

I giggled back.

Suddenly, Will came over and sat me up, putting his hand on my thigh.

"I," He said, tapping his finger on my leg once. "really like you, Cam. I will," Tap. "love you forever, and get," Tap. "you," Tap. "whatever you could ever want. When it's safe enough to go out," Tap. "side, we will, of," Tap. "course, go on a real date. Do you want it any where near-by here?" Tap.

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Wherever you like." I said back. What was up with his tapping. He looked into my eyes, seeming to be sending me a message.

_What?_

I don't know morse code, buddy.

But for some reason, I had a feeling it wasn't morse code.

I wracked my mind again for the sentence he said, trying to remember it word for word.

"I really like you, Cam. I will love you forever, and get you whatever you could ever want. When it's safe enough to go outside, we will, of course, go on a real date. Do you want it anywhere near-by here?" He had said. He paused randomly in the middle of the sentence.

Maybe it was the words after the taps? "Really love you whatever side course."

...Something tells me he's not talking about what we're going to order in a restaurant.

Let's look at the words before each tap. "I will get you out of here."

Hm. Maybe I did have some spy in me.

I will get you out of here? My eyes widened and I looked at Will, who was staring at me, waiting for me to get the code. Does that mean Will is good?

He could just be tricking me. But there was something in the air – how it was so depressing and scary in the cell, and I had a feeling that I wasn't ever going to get out of here without someone's help. So I just bit my lip and nodded.

The footsteps outside disappeared, but suddenly we heard one pair approaching rapidly. Will quickly moved his lips inches from mine, but pausing, just looking at the door.

The door opened with a loud slam, and Will made it look like he was about to kiss me. We looked up, and saw Zach.

"Zach?" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. Will had pulled away.

Please don't let me be hallucinating. You've already been cruel to me today, brain, for making me dream of this moment.

But it wasn't a dream. This time it was real.

"Cammie." Zach was breathing heavily, and he ran a hand roughly through his messy, slightly damp hair. His clothes were torn a bit, and his eyes were green as ever. He walked over and crushed me in a hug, and I happily hugged back, inhaling his familiar and comforting scent. "Are you okay?"

He ran his hands down my arms, checking for injuries.

"Yea, I'm fine." I mumbled into his shoulder. Suddenly, Zach jerked back.

"_What the hell are you doing here?_" Zach spat, for the first time noticing Will. He pushed me behind him, but I stepped in front.

"Will was helping me, Zach." I said quietly. Zach turned his glare on me, but his eyes softened.

"You don't really believe that, do you? Will is a honey-potter. He was never on your side."

"I've changed, Zach. I really have." Will stood up, a little taller than Zach.

Zach whipped his head around, his glare hardening again.

"Bastard! How do you expect me to believe that? If you've changed, why the hell didn't you 'change' when you witnessed Mom killing our own father?" Zach screamed.

...What? Zach's dad was dead? His mother killed his father? And will was _there? _I blinked in surprise.

"I was just a kid then, Zach!" Will had shouted back.

"You were old enough to know! To know that it was wrong!"

"Well I was trying to help Cammie, I really was! I've changed!"

"Bullcrap! Don't _ever_ touch her, or I will rip your throat out!" Zach snarled.

"Like you can! You'll never be a better spy than me, brother. I was always the best, always Mom's favorite. That's why she so willingly let you go from the Circle. But for me? For me, running was not an option. I had to fight! I was a fighter." Will's voice slowly got quieter, sadness laced through his words.

"So you're saying you want out of the Circle?" Zach asked.

"Yes." Will nodded.

Zach stared at Will, hard and long. Will stared back, green meeting green.

"Good luck with that." Zach said stonily. He grabbed my hand, and started to drag me out of the room. I looked back, and Will was standing there, fists clenched, his head bowed. He was shaving ever-so-slightly, and my heart cracked in half.

"No! No. Zach..." I stopped in my tacks, knowing full well that Zach could just carry me out, but knowing he wouldn't. "I think that Will is telling the truth."

Zach's eyes widened in surprise, and Will's head snapped up.

"You don't know him, Cammie. I...you haven't seen the things he's done. All of the horrible things he's ever done." Zach shook his head.

"Today is never too late to be brand new. He could have changed." I reasoned.

"I really have." Will popped in.

Suddenly, loud screeching sirens turned on, and shouts echoed through the building.

"Shit. We have to go." Zach grabbed my hand again.

"Will has to come with us. Just give him a chance." I grabbed the hand he was using to hold mine with my other one, holding his in both of mine.

"Please. Whether I like it or not, I've come to trust Will. He pretended to honeypot me, and if he really was a honey-potter, wouldn't he have been doing it for real? He told me that he would get me out of here. I trust him." I looked deep into Zach's eyes.

"Fine, fine! But only because we're running out of time, and another spy would be good for our escape, seeing as though we have to protect you." I rolled my eyes at that. "But one slip-up, and you're out." Zach glared at Will. Then he turned and we ran. Will came up on the other side of me, keeping pace with us.

"What is it with you spies and sprinting for your lives at every single moment of every single day?" I complained.

"This really isn't the time to be thinking about that." Zach huffed out.

Will chuckled.

Suddenly, someone grabbed me by my hair and yanked me back. I let out a little yelp, and my hand was wrenched from Zach's.

He and Will whirled around, similar death glares planted on their faces. It would have been amusing, for not the situation I was in. The man was holding me up _only_ by my hair, and let me tell you: It was painful.

"Get _away_ from her." Zach shouted, kicking the guy in the face and catching me before I hit the ground. He gently placed me against the wall and stood in front of me, fighting the twenty-or-so Circle agents with Will. I was massaging my scalp, trying to catch my breath from running.

"Up you go. We don't have much time." Will pulled me up, me groaning, and we ran some more. We finally made it out the doors – it seemed we were in an abandoned warehouse – and fresh air and sunlight hit me.

I didn't really have time to relish in the moment, though. Probably because I was about ready to cough up a lung. The sunlight warmed my body, though, which had been deprived from much light for a couple days. The wind whipped through the strands of my hair, cooling my sweaty scalp.

"Did you," I swallowed back mucus from the back of my throat, and panted, stopping half-way through my sentence. Yea. Attractive girl I am. "Ever find...them?" I asked Zach, who had a hold on my hand again. He would know I was talking about his friends.

"No. I spent all my time looking for you." Zach's breathing was heavy, too, but he would still form sentences normally. I sounded like a dying whale.

But his words made me melt, and I couldn't help but smile, despite the situation.

I glanced over at Will, and he wasn't even sweating.

Damn their spy training.

We ran for as long as I could, and eventually, just like the other night, I collapsed. I laid on the floor, hair fanned out on the ground and hand on my stomach, breathing ragged.

"We're far enough away now." Will said. He and Zach were leaning against trees.

"Mom was out today, so that's why not many people were after us. She was at a meeting with other Circle agents."

I was still panting too hard to talk properly, and Zach didn't say anything. I guess he still didn't trust Will entirely, so his sentence was left with a semi-awkward silence.

He fidgeted against his tree, and I felt bad for him. I felt waves of resentment coming off of Zach, and he wouldn't make eye contact with his brother, unless it was to glare at him.

We laid there until sunset, the sun making the sky a pretty pink and orange. After a while, the awkward silence had turned into a comfortable one, and we listened to each others' breathing. Well, I did, at least. It calmed me down, and I almost felt peaceful. Then, when it was night, the stars came out and we laid down on the floor, me in-between them, one of them always keeping watch.

Zach was the first watch, and right before I fell asleep, I felt him stroke my hair out of my face and say, "I told you I would protect you."

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	7. Everybody Needs Something Untainted

_Zach was the first watch, and right before I fell asleep, I felt him stroke my hair out of my face and say, "I told you I would protect you." _

**Zach's POV**

I sat up against a tree, staring at the bright moon. How could Cammie trust Will?

Will, the boy who used to be my best friend.

Will, the boy who saw my father die and didn't to a thing about it.

Will, the boy who joined the Circle.

Will, my brother.

My god damn brother.

I looked at him, sleeping on the floor. I wanted to kick his head. I ran a hand through my hair.

"Why the hell is he suddenly 'good?' Did Cam seriously make that big of an impression on him?" I muttered to myself.

"Talking to yourself again, Goode?" My eyes fluttered to the right to see Cammie laying on her stomach, head rested on her hands, feet swinging in the air, a smirk playing at her lips.

I smirked back.

"Well, if I don't, I get lonely! Especially without you," I teased. She blushed.

"Go find some friends, Zach." She snorted.

"I have friends!" I exclaimed.

Things got quiet. We exchanged glances.

"We need to find them soon," she whispered.

"I know," I looked off into the forest, as if they would suddenly appear. She got up and sat next to me, leaning her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

"Seems like we're always sleeping on the forest floor, huh? Talking underneath the moon," she rolled her dark blue eyes.

"Except this time _he's_ here," I growled. She glanced down at Will.

"Why don't you believe him?" she asked quietly.

"Why do you believe him? When you're a spy, Cam, you can't just trust every person who tells you that they're good. They have to prove it. The world is full of bad people, Cammie. And sometimes, they're closer than you think."

She lifted her head from my shoulder and looked at me, cocking an eyebrow.

"Are you trying to imply something?"

I laughed. "Possibly."

"Cryptic bastard," she muttered.

"You should get some sleep," I said gently. She shook her head.

"I'm not tired."

I just looked at her.

She brushed her long hair over her shoulder and started finger-combing through it.

"I need a shower," she complained.

We talked for hours and hours, and she told me how she missed her best friend. Nicole had been there for her for as long as she could remember, and Cammie had never gone more than two days without seeing her.

I missed Bex, Grant, Tristan, Macey, Liz and Jonas, too, but not with as much passion as Cammie. I loved them, yes, but being a spy, we were trained to be used to being separated from the people we loved for a long period of time. This wasn't the longest we had been apart from each other, and I knew that they would keep each other safe.

Eventually, Cammie fell asleep on my shoulder. I brought her head down to my lap so she didn't slip off, and stroked her hair.

I didn't want Cammie to become a spy. I didn't want her to follow in her father – her real father's – footsteps. I wanted her to stay innocent, naïve Cammie. The one who thought that there was good in everybody. The one who believed evil could be fixed.

And most of all, if Cammie became a spy, she would eventually be sent on missions. Missions that threatened her life. And I wouldn't be there to save her.

She would be trained, yes, but I don't think I'm ever going to shake the feeling of having to prevent anything from hurting her. It was becoming a natural instinct, now.

Will woke up, and rubbed his eyes.

"It's time for your shift," I grumbled. He looked at me.

"What will it take for you to believe me?" He looked sad, frustrated.

And for a moment, I wanted my brother back. I wanted my best friend back. I wanted to believe him.

"It'll take proof," I growled.

"How do I prove it?" Will exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Shut up! You're going to wake her up," I motioned down to Cammie, who stirred. "And that's your problem," I shrugged.

He looked down at Cammie, and then back up to my face.

"You know, it's bad for a spy to fall in love. Especially with a civilian."

I glared at him. "She's not going to be a civilian for long," I spat out.

"You're not happy about that, are you? You want her to stay innocent. We all do. Everybody needs something untainted in their life," he sat down next to me. I inched away.

"It would be sick if I wanted her to become a spy, where she's in danger almost every second of her life," I said.

"She already is. It's either she gets trained and learns to defend herself, or is vulnerable under the Circle's forces." Will shrugged.

I guess I hadn't thought of it that way.

"And if she becomes a spy, too, you guys can be together," he smirked.

I didn't say anything. I just leaned my head back on the tree and closed my eyes, attempting sleep. Not the most comfortable position, no, but there was no way in hell I was moving, not after the hours it took to get Cammie to rest again.

"Goodnight, Z." Will used the nickname he used to call me when we were kids. I bit my cheek, hard, and didn't reply.

Morning came, and I jerked awake to an especially loud bird call. My neck was all cramped up, and I whipped my head back and forth to loosen it. Cammie was still sleeping, in the exact same position she was in last night.

"Morning," Will said.

"Really?" I said sarcastically, motioning to the blue sky, the sun.

"Don't be so rude," Cammie said.

She chooses now to wake up? Really?

Will laughed at me. I glowered at him.

Cammie sat up, but knocked her head into my chin.

"Ow!" We both exclaimed at the same time. She dropped back down to my lap, clutching her head, and I was clutching my chin. Our eyes were wide with shock.

Will laughed even harder. Cammie stuck her tongue out at him, but started laughing too. I couldn't help but smile.

"Are you okay?" She reached a hand up to feel my chin.

"Oh, no, I think you broke it," I teased. Her eyes widened before she realized I was kidding. She slapped my arm.

"How's your head?"

"Hurting. You have a hard chin."

"You have a hard head."

This time I helped Cammie off my lap, being sure to move my chin away from her head.

Suddenly, something rustled to our left. Even Cammie heard it. We all jumped up, Will and I taking our positions in front of Cammie. She huffed, muttering something like, 'They think I'm useless,'

I just rolled my eyes and told her to shush.

The rustling stopped, and I could tell that they had heard us, too, and were trying to be still. But I heard people breathing.

Lots of people.

Suddenly, they all jumped out, ready to attack.

Will and I tensed up, and got ready to defend. But we froze.

We looked into the shocked faces of my friends.

"Zach? Cammie!" Bex exclaimed. They ran to us and enveloped us into a giant hug. Cammie laughed.

"I missed you guys!" she said. Even though she had only known them for about a week, I could already tell that the girls were becoming attached to Cammie, and vice versa.

"Are you alright?" Lizzie asked her.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" Bex exclaimed.

"Your clothes!" Macey shrieked.

Cammie laughed. "Yes, I'm alright, the Circle captured me, I met Will, Zach's brother, but he's good now, no I'm not hurt, and yes. My clothes are all ripped up."

"How you been? Alright?" Grant asked.

"Been better," I shrugged.

"What about you guys? Did you guys get hurt?" Cammie asked, talking to everybody now, the girls' little circle broken.

"Cammie-bear!" Grant exclaimed, hugging her.

"Don't call me that," she groaned.

Grant was already thinking of her as a little sister – Tristan and Jonas, too. Cammie had that effect on people – everybody wanted to be around her, everybody loved her.

Tristan gave her a hug, too, and gave her a pet on the head. Jonas hugged her, and started checking her small cuts, putting medicine on them.

Will cleared his throat.

Grant, Jonas and Tristan knew him.

And they knew what he did.

They tensed up, just now noticing he was there.

"What," Grant said slowly. "Is _he_ doing here?"

**Kind of a weird place to end it, but I have to go! Thank you so much for all over your reviews, I loved them.[: **

**I hope you liked this chapter! **


	8. Emmy Rose

_Will cleared his throat._

_Grant, Jonas and Tristan knew him._

_And they knew what he did._

_They tensed up, just now noticing he was there._

_"What," Grant said slowly. "Is he doing here?"_

**Cammie's POV**

I blinked. Grant was practically trembling from anger. I looked at the girls, confused. They just shrugged. Bex stepped forward and grabbed one of Grant's hands.

"Grant...?" she said softly. Will was staring at Grant, a mixture of forced-calm and sadness swimming in his eyes. I looked at Tristan and Jonas. They were glaring at Will, too.

Oh. They must know about Will just standing back and watching their own mother kill their father.

"You guys," I said, stepping over to Will. There were cries of protests, and I saw Tristan step forward to grab my hand. But I stepped ever farther into Will, giving him a 'trust me' look. "Will is good now. He helped us out of there...he changed."

Grant snorted and looked at Zach, who was silent throughout the whole exchange.

"Do you actually believe this crap?" he snapped.

Zach bit his lip and sighed, shaking his head slowly. "I...I just don't know. He _did _help us out of there – he fought Circle agents. And...and Cammie trusts him."

Jonas looked at me. "Do you really, Cam? You trust him?"

I nodded vigorously. "When I was in the cell. He was supposed to honeypot me for information or whatever, but he didn't. Well, at first he tried to-" Zach growled. "but then he stopped and helped us escape."

"Wait, wait, wait. I am so bloody confused right now. What the hell is going on?" Bex stepped forward and waved her arms back and forth, trying to get us to explain.

I cocked my head to the side. "You never told them?"

Zach shrugged. "I haven't known them as long."

I snorted. "You've known me for what? A week and a half?"

He smirked. "You're different."

"Will is Zach's brother," Tristan explained. "and he watched Mrs. Goode kill their father and didn't do a thing about it. He was also a known Circle operative, but now apparently he's turned good and Cammie trusts him?"

"How could you have never told us this?" Macey exclaimed. "We thought we were your sisters."

"You are! It's just..." Zach raked a hand through his hair. "Ah, I don't know. It's just not something that comes up in conversation, you know? I'm sorry."

I walked away from Will and gave Zach a hug. One because he looked so worried and stressed out, and two because I was feeling a bit sick and was trying to hide it. I buried my face in his chest and breathed deeply, trying to calm my breathing. My head was pounding, and I was so dizzy I felt like I was going to throw up.

I probably would've, too, if I had anything in my stomach. I guess the days without food and water and the lack of sleep have finally caught up to me. I felt myself go limper and limper, and I opened my eyes. Black spots tainted my vision.

"Zach...I don't feel so good..." I whispered.

"Cammie!" Zach shouted. Even though he was right next to me, though, I could barely hear him. I shut my eyes again and felt myself fall. I heard about every single person take a few steps forward – spy instinct, I guess – but only one pair of arms caught me.

I heard a faint, "What's happening to her?"

"Probably fatigue," another voice answered.

Then I lost consciousness.

**Zach's POV**

Cammie walked over and randomly gave me a hug. I smiled and hugged her back, resting my chin on the top of her head. I saw Grant mouth, 'whipped'.

I glared at him and cocked my head towards Bex, and mouthed, 'whipped' back. He rolled his eyes and didn't even try to deny it. Will was staring at us, and I tightened my grip around her. Suddenly, she whispered something. I had to bend down and strain my ears to hear her.

"Zach...I don't feel so good," she whimpered.

I felt her getting limper and limper, and panic coursed through my veins. "Cammie!"

She fell, and everybody went forward to catch her. But I already did it, and I cradled her in my arms, my eyes frantic and worried.

"What's happening to her?" Liz looked close to tears.

"Probably fatigue," Jonas answered, smoothing her hair.

"I forgot she's a civilian. Her body isn't trained to exert so much energy in such a small amount of time," Macey said. I nodded.

"We have to get her back to Gallagher." I said, standing up and carrying her bridal-style.

"We have to get out of the forest. It's the only place we can get reception. We need to call Mr. Solomon and get him to pick us up – soon." Grant said, eying Cammie with crinkled brows.

We all nodded once. And so we started running. I was lagging behind a bit because of the extra weight, but Tristan and Will made sure to always stay behind me, in case a Circle member came. Whenever we ran in a pack for missions, we always had a kind of formation we always fell into.

First was me – I had been the only one without someone to protect, and it made it easier for me to fight hand-to-hand, since I wasn't always watching out for another person.

Then behind me was Liz and Jonas, whom we wanted in the middle because they were in the Research and Development track, not field training. And then Grant, Bex, Macey and Tristan took up the rear. If someone ever snuck up behind us, Bex and Tristan would flip around and roundhouse kick them, while Macey and Grant would keep running. Bex and Tristan were faster, so they could catch up with us easier.

I guess once Cammie was trained well enough to go on missions with us, she would be up front with me. The thought of her going to missions and putting her life in danger scared me, and I tried to push the thought from my mind.

After a full hour of almost always sprinting, we finally saw a clearing through the trees. We stopped, our breath jagged. I placed Cammie down on the ground and put my arms behind my head, weaving my fingers together there. Everyone else did the same, and we took deep breaths as Jonas fumbled with his phone to call Mr. Solomon.

"Hello?" a voice picked up after one and a half rings.

"Mr. Solomon? We got her. She's currently unconscious due to fatigue, though, so you should hurry. I don't think she's eaten for a very long time..."

We all eyed Cammie, who had already been thinner than normal when we first saw her.

"Good." we heard Mr. Solomon take a sigh of relief. "I'll be there in 3 and a half minutes. Stay in the cover of the trees – we don't want to attract any attention."

"Alright. See you then." Jonas closed the phone and we collapsed against trees. Grant was leaning against one, arms crossed, still slightly glaring at Will, with Bex leaning against his legs, sitting with her legs crossed on the floor. Jonas and Lizzie sat down and counted down the seconds until Mr. Solomon arrived. Macey and Tristan went over to where the cover of the trees broke, making sure no one would come in. I went over to Cammie and smoothed her hair back from her face, holding her hand.

I noticed that she was a bit too skinny, and her skin was cold, clammy and pale, despite the eighty degree weather. The helicopter arrived, and I scooped Cammie up, ducking into through the door. Mr. Solomon was on us immediately. He took Cammie from my arm and set her down, checking her for injuries. Then he looked at all of us, checking for anything more than a scrape of a bruise. Thankfully, none of us had any major injuries.

He froze when he saw Will.

Mr. Solomon knew Will's story, but I think he took it pretty well.

He just glanced at us, sending a 'do you trust him?' look at us. We shrugged and nodded once.

"Hello, Will. I'm Mr. Solomon."

Then he walked up to fly the helicopter back to Gallagher, not even waiting for Will's response.

We flew back to Gallagher in the helicopter that was made for speed, so it was small and cramped. Cammie woke up.

"Zach," she moaned. My eyes shot open and I looked down.

"Hey," I mumbled. "How you feeling?"

"Like crap," she sniffled. I chuckled.

"You had us worried there, Cam," Bex said. Cammie sat up in my lap, and I wrapped my arms around her, resting my chin on her head again. She fiddled with my hands.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She couldn't get her voice above a rasp. Will tossed us a water bottle, and Cammie chugged it down gratefully.

"Better?" I murmured soothingly. She sighed and nodded, leaning back against me.

"Hello, Cameron. I'm Mr. Solomon," he said, switching the helicopter onto autopilot – since we were going forward for a while – and twisted around in his seat.

She smiled, a bit nervous, and reached out to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Cammie..." Mr. Solomon trailed off. "You do realize that you have to train to become a spy now, right? I mean – it's the only way. With the Circle after you, you need to be able to defend yourself..."

She nodded. "It's okay. I think...I think I like the idea. I hate being the helpless girl – the weak link. Also, my home wasn't the best either, so...I dunno. I think this will be a lot better than being back home."

My grip on her tightened at the thought of her back home, her abusive father coming home drunk every night, hitting her.

Mr. Solomon blinked, a bit confused, but hid it easily. He nodded. "Alright. Your father would be proud, Cameron."

Cammie bit her lip, and her eyebrows mashed together.

"Did you...did you know him?" she asked hesitantly. Mr. Solomon nodded.

"He was my best friend."

"Was he...was he a good man? I mean..."

Mr. Solomon smiled sadly. "He was the best – in the field and in person, too. Always putting others before himself. If he knew the family that he had given you up to was...not good, he could've never lived with himself. He would've tried to find you and get him back, I swear he would've. He just didn't know. He kept tabs on you, though. He knew where you lived and everything. But since you didn't make your abuse clear, nobody knew."

"Then why did he never visit? Why didn't he ever try to speak with me in person?" she exclaimed, outraged.

"It was safer for you if he didn't. He was trying to protect you, Cammie, from the Circle of Cavan. But somehow they found out anyway."

"Do you know who my birth mother is?"

Mr. Solomon smiled sadly. "Her name was Emmy Rose. The sweetest woman you would've ever met – you kids would've loved her. She died giving birth to you."

Cammie bit her lip and sighed, burying her head in my shoulder.

"I'm tired," she mumbled.

"Go to sleep, then. We'll figure this all out in the morning." I kissed the top of her head, and she kissed my neck, and then fell asleep.

**Hi guys!**

**I know, I know. Boring chapter, long wait for the boring chapter...I'm so sorry! ]: **

**Please review – they encourage me to write and they really do make my day. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me! **


	9. The Misplaced Stone

_Cammie bit her lip and sighed, burying her head in my shoulder._

_"I'm tired," she mumbled._

_"Go to sleep, then. We'll figure this all out in the morning." I kissed the top of her head, and she kissed my neck, and then fell asleep._

**Cammie's POV**

I slipped in and out of consciousness, and vaguely felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around me, the sound of a leather jacket being swung over my body to keep me warm. The arms picked me up and brought me over to a bed, and I curled up with the jacket into a tight ball and fell asleep again.

I felt someone kiss my forehead and murmur a soft 'good night'. Short, soft hair tickled my cheek, and I realized it was Zach. I mean, who else would kiss me good night? My dead mother?

I reached my hand out and caught his, my eyes still closed.

"Stay?" I asked quietly, my throat raw. I remember someone tipping my head back and pouring water down my throat, but my voice was still scratchy.

I felt him hesitate a moment, but then he quickly got under the sheets with me. I nuzzled my face into his neck, already falling asleep again.

"Good night," I sighed.

Zach wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his face in my hair, and we fell asleep like that.

I woke up again, and this time it was morning. Sickeningly bright sunlight was stinging my eyes, and I adjusted my head so Zach's body was blocking it from my face.

The familiar scent of mint and something foresty enveloped me, along with the leather of his jacket, which was tangled around us. He was starting to wake up, too, and I heard him moan quietly.

"Time to wake up?" he asked softly, kissing my jaw. There was stubble growing along the side of his, and it tickled my face.

"No, absolutely not," I groaned.

I yawned, and finally decided to open my eyes. I was in a room that looked a bit like a hospital room – there were bottles of water sitting on the counter next to us, and a window, and a couple of chairs, but other than that the room was extremely plain, decorated with a cream wallpaper.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"We," Zach opened his startling bright green eyes. "are at Gallagher. Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, to be exact. This is an infirmary room. I should tell you that this place is extremely big, so yea. Try not to get lost. They have a complete medical wing instead of just a nurse's office. Grant, Jonas, Tristan and I are from Blackthorne Academy, and we're doing an exchange here. Our school's cover is for delinquent boys, and Gallagher's is for rich, snobby girls." He shrugged. "Going out into town and seeing the town peoples' glares aren't exactly fun, but we're going to be saving their country's life one day, so they'd better be grateful."

I blinked. "They don't like us?"

Zach rolled his eyes. "No, they think we're assholes who have their daddies and mommies do everything for us, and that's why we're at such a prestigious school. Especially the teenagers in town."

I huffed. "So we just get to randomly wander into town? And how do they know we're from Gallagher?"

Zach snorted. "I wish. There are scheduled town days, and if it's an emergency, then you can ask the headmistress, Rachel Morgan, for permission. She's a pretty nice woman – kind of motherly, ya know? And most of the time we have to wear our uniform – we go out there for Cove Ops Missions a lot of the time. But if you're just going out for a town day, you're allowed to wear your normal clothes."

I nodded, then cracked a smile. "So when do I get to start kicking ass?"

He threw his head back and laughed. Then he kissed my nose. "You, Missy, need to _learn_ to kick ass before you actually _can _kick ass. But before you start training, we have to go introduce you to Ms. Cameron, get all of the paperwork filed, find out which dorm room you're going to be staying in, get breakfast, stuff like that."

I pouted. "Sounds boring."

Zach sat up, pulling me with him. "It is."

We got up, rubbing our eyes, and walked out into Gallagher Academy. My eyes widened in awe, and I stopped and looked at the school around me. There were giant class chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the light from the window reflecting off of the crystal and glass, creating tiny little rainbows all around the room.

The building itself was very olden time – perfect stone walls, but a nice, smooth floor. There were paintings and weapons in cases displayed everywhere, and the doors were tall and heavy, wooden.

"This is a school?" I exclaimed.

"Sure is. But it's a school for spies," Zach winked.

"Why isn't anybody walking around?"

Zach was steering me down hallways, turning sharply at some of them, our footsteps echoing around us.

"Everybody's already in second period. Me, you, and everybody else who went on that little mission to get you has today off. We're all meeting in Ms. Morgan's office," he explained.

I nodded. Suddenly, Zach stopped and turned me around, looking at me. His expression changed, and it went from casual to caring.

"Are you sure you're okay with all of this, Cam? Becoming a spy...it's not all it's made out to be. It's not all mysterious and sexy like they make it seem in movies. It's dangerous, and occasionally boring, and your life is never going to be normal again," Zach took my other hand in his, and now he was holding both.

I smiled, and I pulled one of my hands out of his to brush his tousled brown hair back from his face.

"I'm sure. I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Zach. I mean it. This...this is kind of calling to me, you know? As stupid and cliché as that sounds...I think this is what I'm meant to do."

He sighed, and his green eyes looked deep into mine. "I just...it would kill me to see you get hurt. And as a spy, you're hurt a lot. And training won't be easy, either."

"I know, Zach. I know. I can do it. I'm stronger than you think," I cocked an eyebrow. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say, Cammie."

I punched his shoulder.

"Meanie."

He pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head.

"Shortie," he teased back.

I pulled back and scowled. "I'm not short!"

Zach snorted. "The only person shorter than you is Liz. And that's kind of sad."

He looked at me. "But seriously, Cam. If you really think that this is what you're meant to be doing...just be careful, okay? If you're ever seriously injured..." Zach trailed off, his eyes pained.

I smiled softly and went up on my tip toes to peck his lips.

"I'll only be careful if you be careful. You're not the only one who has someone they care about, you know."

He leaned forward, kissing me again. He leaned his forehead against mine.

"I promise."

"Then I promise, too."

We started walking again, and now we were at a large wooden door, similar to all of the other ones in the hallway.

Before Zach could knock, someone shouted, "Come in!"

I blinked, startled.

Zach shrugged. "Mrs. Cameron always does that. It's kind of...a sense she has."

Zach looked at me, and I bit my lip. He smiled reassuringly. He opened the door, and the first thing that hit me was how bright it was in there.

A whole wall of the room – the right wall – was just a giant window, and gorgeous streams of sunlight were bursting onto the yellow walls, and you could see specks of dust swirling everywhere in the air. It lit up everybody's eyes, making them a shade lighter than they normally were. It turned my hair a blonde color, and it warmed up my skin.

I could see the cloudless blue sky, and the perfectly manicured lawns of Gallagher Academy. It was breezy, and the tall, fat trees' branches swayed gently.

I wanted to stand in front of the giant window and stretch out like a cat, and bathe myself in the sunlight. But I couldn't.

Macey, Tristan, Bex, Liz, Grant, and Jonas were all there, and unlike me and Zach, they were dressed in fresh uniforms, had brushed their hair and teeth, and the girls had make-up on.

"Good mornin'!" Liz smiled cheerily.

"Morning, Lizzie," I smiled back.

I noticed Mr. Solomon leaning against the desk, and he nodded at me. I just smiled back. Then, my eyes saw the lady sitting behind the desk.

She was gorgeous. I didn't expect her to be so...young.

She had long, straight brown hair, and clear, light green eyes. She was tall, I could already tell, and had tan skin. Her face was kind, and her presence threw off vibes of power.

"Hello," I said shyly.

"Hello, Cammie dear!" she smiled, her straight white teeth standing out against her tan skin. "I'm Rachel Cameron, the headmistress of Gallagher. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," I said back, polite, moving to sit on a couch with Zach. Macey scooted over for us.

"So," Mrs. Cameron said, her face already going serious. "why don't you kids start with telling me exactly what happened?"

We spent the next hour talking about the past few days, while Mrs. Morgan nodded and wrote things down, her face emotionless throughout the whole story.

"And now," Bex finished. "Cammie wants to train and become a spy."

Ms. Cameron nodded again, not even surprised. Then she looked up at me.

"You realize that you're going to be with the eighth graders, don't you, Cammie? Zach and everybody else are in their junior year. But with Matthew Morgan's blood in you, I don't doubt that you'll catch up to them soon enough."

I nodded solemnly.

"Very well. Zach, Cammie, go take showers, and all of you be down for lunch. I will give Cammie her schedule then."

We all nodded and got up, leaving the room.

"Cammie! Couldn't you have even tried to look a bit more presentable?" Macey groaned.

I stuck my tongue out at her, and everybody else laughed.

"I dunno, I kinda like her bed-head," Tristan ruffled my hair.

The girls took me to their dorm, where they had already cleared a bed for me. Bex shoved me in the shower, telling me I stank, which I probably did, and I showered for the first time in a long time.

I stayed in there a lot longer than necessary, and the scent of the soap enveloped my body, relaxing me. Macey got me ready, dressing me in Gallagher's uniform.

It consisted of a blue and white plaid skirt, a fitted button-down white blouse, socks that go up about half of our calves, and black ballet flats.

I laughed. It was the typical private school get-up. They straightened my hair and put a white flower headband in it, making me look innocent, like a little girl.

I snorted.

Me, Cammie, the short girl with the flower headband, is going to start training to become a spy today. I wasn't nervous, for some reason – I just knew that this was in my blood.

From what I've heard, my dad was a legend. And all I could do was hope that I could live up to his reputation.

I thought as Macey lightly dusted my face with make-up, and was surprised that twenty minutes had passed when she told me I was 'passable'.

I looked in the mirror, and my eyes widened.

"Don't ask – it's Macey's special power. She could make a homeless man look like Josh Hutcherson," Liz explained. I just nodded, still speechless.

We went down for lunch, and Zach was dressed in black slacks, a white collared dress shirt, a blazer, and a tie. He gave me a quick peck, and wound his arm around my waist.

"You look beautiful."

"Can't say the same for you," I teased.

He laughed, but then quickly fixed his face into a wounded expression. "That hurt, Gallagher Girl. That hit home."

I just rolled my eyes.

We ate lunch, and Mrs. Cameron told me that I could have PE and Culture and Assimilation with everybody else, instead of the eighth graders. Mr. Solomon would be teaching me privately in PE, so I could get better quicker.

If I was ready, I could join the other 11th graders in CoveOps during the second semester later on in the year.

We exited the dining hall after we ate, and walked into the PE barn. Everybody quickly found a sparring partner, and started ducking and dodging on the mats.

Mr. Solomon beckoned me over, and I swallowed.

This is it.

The beginning of my training.

I walked over, and smiled nervously. He smiled back.

"Alright, Cammie. Let's just get straight to business. First: you have to learn how to position your body. Spread your feet out, and brace your shoulders. Try and look confident, too – if you look like you don't know what you're doing, you really won't. Good – just like that. Now, let's see if you can throw a decent punch."

I clenched my hand into a fist, thumb wrapping around my other four fingers, and I swung, rotating my shoulder. He caught my fist.

I blinked in surprise.

"That was good, but rotate your body with your whole arm. That way, it'll give you more impact, and knocking out the enemy will be quicker. Spies don't kill – or they try not to, anyway. Only when it's absolutely necessary. Because everybody has information – some little part in their brain is probably useful to us. So killing them would do nothing."

I nodded, trying to process all of this.

We practiced punches and roundhouse kicks, how to dodge knife attacks, how to swipe the enemy off their feet, and I also learned there were certain pressure points that, if pressed hard enough, could knock a man out.

We trained for hours, and I got short two-minute breaks every once in a while to gulp down water while Mr. Solomon barked orders at everybody else, instructing the rest of the class.

Zach trotted over to me during one of those breaks, and I was on my third water bottle. He was sweaty, his hair clinging to his forehead and neck. I tried not to stare at his shirtless form.

He seemed to notice my ogling though, since he smirked. He was kind enough to take pity upon my flushed face because he didn't say anything about it.

"Hey, Cam. How you doing?"

"I'm doing good! I think. I'm doing good, right Mr. Solomon?" I shouted over at him. Over the past hour or so, I had learned so much, and Mr. Solomon and I had gotten closer, too. He would suddenly say stuff like, "Your father was always really good at this move," or "Your mother would've been so proud of you."

"She's doing extraordinary, Zach. About two more months of hard training and I think she could already be at junior year training."

Zach blinked at me, and smirked. "Dang, Gallagher Girl. You really do have it in your blood."

I just tossed him a water bottle, which he chugged down.

I thought being with the eighth graders would be kind of embarrassing later on in the day, but it turns out they were all extremely sweet and understanding. They all were shocked that Matthew Morgan was my father – I wish I had grown up as a spy so I could understand his importance. Was he really that good?

It was passing, and I was on my way to my last period. I slung my bag over my shoulder, adjusted my headband, and started walking.

I also had this class with Zach and everyone else – Culture and Assimilation. I was excited, and I smiled at the floor. As ridiculous as this was, I missed them.

Even though it had barely been a day, the absence of Grant's loud, booming laugh and Jonas and Liz's tech talk was almost unbearable.

As I was making my way over, all of the doors suddenly were covered by an iron covering that slammed to the ground.

The lights switched off, and sirens suddenly filled the air.

My heart started pounding.

_What is this? _

CODE BLACK. CODE BLACK. CODE BLACK.

Those words echoed through the hallway in an emotionless woman's voice, and suddenly screams filled the air. People shoved past me, running in different directions, even as teachers yelled for everybody to calm down.

It seemed like I was the only motionless one in the hallway.

I didn't know what was going on, but I had some common sense. This was something bad – real bad, and something was trying to get into Gallagher. I don't know where we all were supposed too go during 'code blacks', so I just stood there as people violently shoved past me, almost knocking me off my feet. Since I was in the hall with eighth graders, though, I was taller than most of the girls, and as tall as most of the guys.

My mind was whirring and I blocked out the noises of everybody else. I just kept my hand on the strap of my bag and thought.

I needed to get somewhere safe, because most likely, this thing trying to get in was probably after me. I mean, nobody else in this school except for Zach and Will were wanted, right? And Zach and Will could take care of themselves.

Speaking of Will, where was he this entire day?

I looked around, racking my brain for something, anything. By this time, the hallway was mostly empty, but I could still hear shouts and shrieks above the annoyingly loud sirens.

Then, I saw it.

A stone that was sticking out just a bit.

It struck me as a bit odd, since every other stone on the walls were completely smooth and flat, perfect. I ran over to it and pressed it.

It slid him, and a door opened up.

I stole Zach's smirk and repeated what he said to me.

"Damn, Cammie. You really do have it in your blood."

**I'm sorry it took me a while to update.**

**But I have summer in a week and a half, so expect more updates then! :D **

**Thanks for reading!**

**I hope you liked it. ^_^ **


	10. Of Dust, Stitched Pillows, and Rainbows

_Then, I saw it._

_A stone that was sticking out just a bit._

_It struck me as a bit odd, since every other stone on the walls were completely smooth and flat, perfect. I ran over to it and pressed it._

_It slid him, and a door opened up._

_I stole Zach's smirk and repeated what he said to me._

_"Damn, Cammie. You really do have it in your blood."_

**Cammie's POV**

I stepped inside, and was immediately consumed by dust and shiny spiderwebs. I slid my shirt up to my nose and mouth and tried my best to breathe shallowly. My eyes and the roof of my mouth grew dry, and I gagged for fresh air.

I whirled around to step out – the heavy darkness wasn't letting me see my hand in front of my face – but the door had closed.

"What?" I choked out.

I tried to press the stone again, but in its replacement was a smooth wall.

"Holy mother..." I muttered under my breath. I resorted to pounding on the door. "Hello? Can anybody hear me?"

Obviously, nobody _could_ over the nasal, ear-splitting Code Black sirens.

"We _get_ it, it's Code Black, woman! Just shut up so I don't die in here!" I screeched up at the computerized, monotone voice that was filling my ears. "And now look at me, I'm talking to a computer. I really need to get out of here."

Wishing I were with Liz or Jonas and their ridiculous tiny little flashlights they always kept somewhere around them, I stumbled over loose stones and my own feet as I guided myself in the pitch black. I ran my left hand along the wall, twisting and turning and almost falling when it disappeared when the path turned sharply, cutting my palm against the jagged stones.

Let's just say my first experience in a secret passageway hasn't been the most pleasurable. I stopped for a moment, my breathing ragged. The dust didn't relent, but I guess my choking lungs were getting used to it.

And for a moment, I just stopped. I calmed my breathing and my heart and leaned against a wall, my arms tucked behind me. I looked at the dancing colors behind my eyelids and found a moment of piece in the pitch black, caved in with the spiders, and ringing silence.

"You know, Cam...it's not so bad in here. Maybe the spiders will tell you the way out," I said to myself.

I was silent for a moment, actually half-expecting something to start talking.

Once I realized what I was doing, I slowly shook my head and started blindly walking again, sincerely glad that nothing had replied.

"Jesus, what is happening to me," I muttered.

I longed for Zach. I longed for his big, warm hand around mine. I yearned for his soothing voice and his tousled hair and his cocky smirk. I wanted him to be here with me. No doubt, he would mock Jonas and Liz, and lecture me about 'pocket flashlights'.

And I would finally relent and smile, the creases gone from my eyebrows. He would smile back, and place a thumb against my lips, saying, 'There it is.' like he's done so many times before.

Suddenly, footsteps, loud as a gunshot, started coming closer and closer. I gasped. I was in conflict with myself. Who was it? If it was one of the people who triggered the alarms, then calling out to them would not be one of my brighter moments.

But what if it was one of my friends? They would just run straight past me in this darkness, and I wouldn't be able to catch up to them. I swore to myself, hating that I was so inexperienced compared to everybody else.

So I did the most reckless thing I've ever done.

I called out.

"Hello? Who are you?"

But the footsteps...went past me.

"The hell?" I cried out, reaching out with my arm to at least feel them.

Nothing was there.

"Jesus, I'm being haunted," I moaned.

My heart was frantic in my chest, and my breathing quickened. Suddenly, another pair of footsteps surrounded me.

"Who's _there_?" I cried. My hands were shaking and sweaty, and I craned my neck and squinted around the darkness to see. I reached my hand out again, but when the footsteps got near me and faded away, I felt nothing.

Suddenly, I heard Zach's voice. He called my name.

"Zach? Where are you?" I whipped around.

He called my name again.

He hadn't heard me.

Then, I came to a realization.

They were _outside_ of the secret passageway. They were running around the halls looking for me. I wanted to tell them to stop. They would get hurt sooner or later. A creeping suspicion told me that the people who triggered the alarms were the Circle.

"Someone shut off the _damn_ alarms!" I heard Mr. Solomon shout.

I screamed his name, banging on the wall. The alarms cut off, and the silence made my ears ring painfully.

"_Zach! Mr. Solomon!_" I screeched. My shrill voice echoed around me. "Why the hell can't you hear me?"

I was on the verge of hysteria now, and choked sobs were trying to force their way out of my throat. I swallowed them.

_No_.

I was not going to be some pathetic, whiny cry-baby who needed other people to protect her. I was Cammie Morgan. Daughter of Matthew Morgan, spy legacy.

I could get out of this dark, dusty hellhole by myself. I didn't need my boyfriend-or-whatever-he-is to be my knight in shining armor. I didn't need him to swoop in and save the day like before.

I would be my own damned Romeo to my Juliet.

I shook my head and stopped my internal rambling.

"_Cam_, where the hell are you? The moment the Circle comes into the school, poof! You disappear like a darned genie after the third wish," I heard Zach growl.

I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, Grant! Did you find her?"

"No, man. But there are now three unconscious Circle agents in the closet near Ms. Cameron's room, so..."

I stopped pressing my ear against the wall and started jogging. If there were Circle agents around Gallagher, it would be best not to catch one of them in a place where I couldn't even walk, let alone see, let alone fight.

All of Mr. Solomon's previous fighting lessons to me came flooding back, and I internally practiced my punches, roundhouse kicks, and went over how to use my small size and weight to my advantage.

When I first saw it, I thought it was another light created like those colors you see behind your eyelids. I disregarded it as some trick, an illusion. Even though it's only been about fifteen minutes, I feel like I've been in this secret passageway for ages. But the farther I walked, the closer I got to it, the brighter it came.

It was so bright and pure that I wanted to cry and shield my eyes and laugh hysterically all at the same time. I have never been more thankful for the sun, and went I got closer I realized that it was a ginormous window with a cushy seat under it.

The clear panes of the window had spider webbing cracks along it, bright, distorted rainbows and rays of light and dust particles swirling around in the air, making the secret passageway somehow a lot more pleasant. I ran my hand over a rainbow, and the colors got etched onto my skin.

I laughed in joy.

But the moment was ruined by the sirens going off again.

Did that mean more agents were coming into the school? I really needed to get out of this place, now. I whirled around, and while spinning, I knocked off a dusty red pillow from the window-seat.

I huffed in annoyance and turned around to pick it up.

But I stopped.

Stitched onto that pillow were two initials.

M.M.

Matthew Morgan.

Had my father been standing in the exact same spot as I was now, watching the light dust dance in the air, choking on it, watching the sun burst along the horizon at dawn, seeing the trees sway with the wind, and his classmates below him, practicing for their futures?

I didn't know that Blackthorne had exchanges with Gallagher so often. It was probably every year, then.

I placed the pillow back onto the seat. I turned to my left, and fell smack into a wall.

A wall.

It was a dead end.

The only thing I could do was turn back.

I cursed, my feet already taking me back from where I came, but then I stopped.

I stopped and looked at the window.

I tipped my head to the side.

"Hell, I'm going to kill myself," I muttered. I backed up, and didn't think.

I just ran.

Everything was silent for a minute, even the beat of my heart.

All of my senses turned off, time seeming to slow down as I smashed myself through the already cracking window.

But then, all of them came back and went into overdrive.

I heard the glass shatter around me, a noise indescribable. It hurt my ears, and then the sound of wind whooshing around my head, whipping my hair around filled them. Distantly, I heard the disturbing whir of a helicopter somewhere above me.

The taste of fresh air after so long in that place almost pained me. I gulped it down, the sting of it watering my eyes. It tasted like trees and blue skies and everything that I loved.

The scent of flowers filled my nostrils, and I noticed that I was jumping out of the side of Gallagher Academy. I wonder how many people walked past the window and wondered how you could get to the other side.

And, finally, feel. The glass ripped through my shirt, somehow pieces lodged themselves into my skin while in the air. The cuts stung, a hundred times worse than a paper cut.

For a moment, despite the pain, I felt completely, utterly free. My hair was billowing out around me, the wind kissing my whole body. I felt light.

But then the ground started coming closer, and I panicked. Land on your stomach or back? Or side? Or butt? Definitely not your side. Not your face, either! Turn!

I tried to turn in the air so I landed on my back, but unfortunately, gravity acted a little quicker than I though it would.

I belly-flopped onto the grass, a loud whimper breaking out of my throat the moment my body impacted with the ground. The window was two stories up, and I couldn't breathe.

I tried to roll around on my back now, but a searing pain in my stomach caused me to stop midway. I gasped and choked for breath as I looked down and brought my hands to my stomach, watching crimson stain my white shirt. I tried to move my stomach, but it just brought on a series of whimpers.

Some Romeo I was.

I forced myself onto my back, breathing heavily. I choked back the tears. I had scrapes all over my arms and legs and face, but all of that pain was minute compared to the one in my stomach.

Beautiful, jagged shards of glass lay around me, and for a moment I wondered what I looked like. Hundreds of pieces of glass, reflecting the rays of the sun, scattered on the vibrant green grass around me.

Me on my back, my hair spread out, blood probably dripping all around my pale skin, hands clutching my belly. My eyes would be wide open, shocked, pain-stricken. My mouth would either be gasping for air or twisted up, trying to repress the whimpers and cries.

And I never did have to wonder if I was going to die there, because someone suddenly threw open the main doors of the school.

Bex came bounding out.

_Idiot_, I thought to myself. I tried to call out to her, but I couldn't seem to move – I could barely blink. _What are you doing? Circle members could attack you right now and just have free access into the school. _

But Bex turned, and she saw her.

Her eyes widened, and a strangled cry forced its way out of her throat.

"_Cammie_!" she cried.

Then, Bex clapped her hand over her mouth and looked around, realizing what she did. Spy Bex took over, and she beckoned to someone inside the school. I saw Grant's head pop out, and she said something to him.

He took one look at me, nodded, and then went back inside. Bex sprinted over to me, and fell to her knees beside me.

"Jesus, Cammie..." she groaned. "Zach is going to flip tables."

I wanted to roll my eyes, or smile, or make a smart retort, but all I could do was blink at her. Pain roared through my ears and took over all of my limbs, even my chin.

I don't think my chin's ever been in this much pain before.

I've never been in this much pain before.

The impact of the ground plus the shards of glass did not make it easy on my body.

"Cammie?" Zach's voice rang through the air, and I visibly relaxed. Just his presence made it seem like everything was going to be okay.

I wanted to jump up and run to him, but I couldn't.

Zach walked over, pain and anger, unbelievable anger, etched onto his face.

He looked up at the empty window frame on the side of the academy, some shards of class still stubbornly clinging to it.

"Did you..." he swallowed thickly. "Jump?"

Bex rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

I swallowed a couple times, my throat dry. I coughed.

I tried to talk, but my throat seemed to convulse in itself. I gagged.

"Shh," Zach soothed me. "Don't try to talk. You're going to be okay, alright?"

He seemed to be reassuring himself more than me. I finally found the strength to move my lips, and I smiled at him.

But, surprisingly, he got angry. A muscle in his jaw popped and he clenched his fists.

"Don't you _dare_ fake a smile for me, Cameron Morgan. If you're in pain, let us know you're in pain. You don't have to _always _be brave, Cam. You...stop being so strong for once. _Please_." His voice cracked at the end of the sentence, and he finally moved over to me, moving stray pieces of hair lingering in my face back.

I closed my eyes and dropped the smile, still trying to swallow, my lack of saliva frightening me. Zach was about to scoop me up and probably sprint for the infirmary, but a voice stopped him.

One that was very, _very _familiar to both him and I.

**Jeez, sorry for the kinda boring chapter and long wait.**

**I truly do feel tremendously sorry. **

**The thing is...I had writer's block with this one. D: I seriously re-wrote this chapter at least 8 times, trying to get it right. I just had no idea where to go with it. This is the one I'm most happy with, so yea. **

**If you read my story Abused, then you know that I'm going to start putting quotes at the end of every chapter, because I am a cheesy quote-y person like that. And these author notes are my rants and dramatic speeches, so by all means...exit out. **

**This honestly is probably two minutes of you wasting your life, but not for me. So yea. **

"**I spent this year as a ghost and I'm not sure what I'm looking for." -The Wonder Years**

**And is that just me? Seriously, if you're waiting for something, except you don't know what you're waiting for, review or PM me and tell me so I don't feel like a freak. xD I've recently been thinking, and I feel like a shell of myself. A ghost. And I keep telling myself that something, someone, somehow is going to change this and I'm going to become myself again, but then...I don't know who or what or why or how. And frankly, I'm starting to think that no one is going to be able to change me back. Because tragedies and loss change people, sometimes permanently, right? That's just life, that's just reality, right? People change and grow up and move on? Well, I hate that. That sucks and is unfair and hopeless. I want to be carefree and young again. I hate growing up. **

**So, I'm on a journey, a quest to find _something_. A thing that probably doesn't even exist, and even if it did, it's probably so small that it'll be like finding a bee in its hive. A thing that I don't know what it smells like, what it looks like, where it is...**

**And I'm hoping against all hopeless hope that it's real. **

**But for now, I'm wandering.**

**I'll tell you guys if I find what I'm looking for, yea? **


	11. Wrapped Together

_"Shh," Zach soothed me. "Don't try to talk. You're going to be okay, alright?"_

_He seemed to be reassuring himself more than me. I finally found the strength to move my lips, and I smiled at him._

_But, surprisingly, he got angry. A muscle in his jaw popped and he clenched his fists._

_"Don't you dare fake a smile for me, Cameron Morgan. If you're in pain, let us know you're in pain. You don't have to always be brave, Cam. You...stop being so strong for once. Please." His voice cracked at the end of the sentence, and he finally moved over to me, moving stray pieces of hair lingering in my face back._

_I closed my eyes and dropped the smile, still trying to swallow, my lack of saliva frightening me. Zach was about to scoop me up and probably sprint for the infirmary, but a voice stopped him._

_One that was very, very familiar to both him and I._

**Zach's POV**

Kneeling beside Cammie's almost-unconscious form, I slowly glared up at my mother.

"Mother, what a pleasant surprise. Try and send an email next time you visit, won't you? Today's not a good time for us," I spat out.

She rolled her eyes. "Zachary, there's no need to be so _bitter_. Anyway, I'm not here for you. You _know _what I'm here for. Now if you'll just give me the girl back, you may all go free."

I stood up and stepped over Cammie, glass crunching under my uniform black leather shoes. Standing protectively in front of her, I quirked an eyebrow.

"No."

She let out a short laugh. "No? And you think you can honestly protect her? From a terrorist organization? You and your little group of prats should just sit your asses down, because sooner or later, one of you are going to end up hurt. Or damaged. Or dead. All for a stupid little civilian girl with a very powerful, dead daddy."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we _do_ think we can protect her." Will stepped out from nowhere and came to stand next to me. I heard Mr. Solomon and Ms. Cameron come out and run up to us, everybody else following. Grant stepped up to our little line.

Bex rolled her eyes and murmured to Macey, "Ten bucks one of them will start pounding their chests and pull out the war paint."

"Not the time, Bex," Macey muttered.

Bex snickered.

Cammie let out a soft whimper. I quickly looked over my shoulders and looked down at her. Her face was twisted in pain, and she was clutching her stomach and pawing at a shard of glass embedded in her soft flesh there.

"Tris? Mace?" I asked.

They nodded and Tristan picked Cammie up, making her cry out in pain. He apologized profusely and rushed her into Gallagher, Macey next to them murmuring reassurances to Cammie.

The alarm faded from my system and adrenaline kicked in.

We needed to finish this. The thought of Cammie living in paranoia for the rest of her life, always looking behind her shoulder for the Circle, made my nails bite into my palms.

My mother's eyes followed Cammie until they were out of sight. I don't know who made the first move – it could've been me. But dozens of black-cad figures swarmed from around the building, and I heard Macey slam the Gallagher front doors and set the multiple locks. They charged toward us, and I went after the closest one. I roundhouse kicked them in the throat, and they stumbled. One of their legs were stretched straight, so I stomped down on their knee the wrong way, and one of their bones cracked. They screamed in agony, and I grabbed their arm and slammed them against a wall, slapping a Napotine patch on their forehead.

Spinning around, I pulled a woman off of Liz, who was doing her best to be brave.

"Liz, get Jonas and go inside, send Macey and Tristan out here," I shouted to her, ducking under a knife and grabbing the woman's leg, making her lose her balance. Dodging her nails, I punched her in the nose, feeling warm sticky blood soak my knuckles. I felt a sharp pain in my back, and I kicked out behind me, knocking the woman out and turning towards my other attacker.

The fight went on for exactly twenty two and a half minutes, the seniors flooding out to fight with us, along with Macey and Tristan, having gotten Liz and Jonas' message.

The Circle retreated, the unconscious ones being wheeled away to CIA prison. I walked down Gallagher corridors to the infirmary, and peeked my head in. There were dozens of seniors there, tending to cuts and bruises. After they had come out, the Circle had been terribly outnumbered. My head ached and I was dizzy, and there was blood everywhere.

A nurse came to me and ushered me down on a cot, but I shook my head.

"I need to see Cammie," I croaked out. "Where is she?"

"Sit down and let me treat your wounds," she commanded.

I stood up, and a wave of nausea attacked me. I ignored it, using the wall as my support.

"_Where is she? _Is she alright?"

"Sit your ass down, Zach," Grant came out of a room, a bandage around his head. "She's fine, sleeping actually."

"There was...so much glass in her," I whispered, wincing as the red-haired nurse put disinfecting alcohol on my cuts. "Why the hell did she jump out of a window?"

"She was stuck in a secret passageway and didn't know how to get out. She heard us calling for her from the halls and knew that the Circle was here. So...she jumped." Grant shrugged. It was one of the few times he's been serious, his eyes solemn and his mouth pushed down in a small frown. He looked so much older this way, tall and muscular, without his huge goofy smile.

"God, shes' stupid sometimes," I muttered, pushing my eyebrows together.

"Hope you're not talking about me," a tiny voice chimed in the corner. My head whipped up as the nurse flitted around me, cutting bandages and stitching some of my deeper cuts together.

"What are you doing out of bed?" I demanded, but held my arms out for her anyway. Grant walked over to her and let her lean on him so she could waddle over to me. Cammie crawled into my lap like a little girl, much to the nurse's complaint.

I waved her away and held Cammie tight to my chest, kissing the top of my head. Grant left to go find the others and make sure they were okay. I could feel other kids' eyes on us, but I didn't care.

I tucked my hand under her chin and brought her face up, and leaned down to trace her lips with mine. "Are you alright?" I murmured against her lips. I could feel her eyelashes against my cheek as she opened her eyes and pulled away. She tucked her head into the crook of my neck and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Are _you_?"

"Are you?"

"Are you?"

"I asked first!"

Cammie laughed and nodded. "Yes, Zach, I'm fine."

"I just..." I shook my head and sighed slowly. "When I saw you there, surrounded by all that glass, bleeding everywhere, I thought that you were – and I couldn't deal with that, you know? I couldn't deal with you being...dead."

Cammie nodded again. "Sorry I jumped out a window."

"I'm sorry you jumped out a window too," I smirked.

"I found something in that passageway," she whispered against my neck.

I turned my head to her, my chin hitting the top of her head. I muttered a quick sorry before asking what she found, rubbing the top of her head and running my fingers down her tangled hair.

"It was a pillow..."

"A pillow?"

"With the initials M.M. on it. I think that it may have been my dad's."

I rocked her back and forth, ignoring the distant ache in my body. "Do you want to go get it?"

Cammie hesitated but then nodded. "Yea. Yea, I think I do."

She hopped off my lap and reached for my hand. I took her small fingers in-between mine and slowly stood up. She eyed my warily. "Are you sure you can make it? I can go alone if you want to rest."

I vigorously shook my head. "No, I want to go with you."

"Tell me when you need to take a break."

I rolled my eyes. "I can walk to the secret passageway without having to take a break, Cam. I'm not 80 or 2."

She shrugged. Leading me down the Gallagher hallways, she seemed to know the way now. She glanced around and pressed a stone, and pulled me inside. The wall closed up behind us. I blinked at her. "How did you find this place?"

"It was when the sirens were going off. Everybody was panicking and going in different directions and I didn't know where to go, and I saw that this stone looked odd and weathered down so I pressed it and this opened and it was super dark and dusty inside but I was stupid and scared so I stepped inside and then the wall closed and it was pitch black and I could hear you guys running around asking me where I was but you couldn't hear me and I wandered around in this dusty air for what seemed like a century and-"

"Okay, okay!" I laughed, taking my hand out of hers and laying it over her shoulders. Her hair tickled my arm, and she pretended to bite my hand. "I get it. It was dark and dusty and scary. I'm here this time. I'll kill all the spiders for you."

"You're sweet," she drawled sarcastically.

"Don't I know it."

She led me down various twists and turns, stumbling here and there. I brought my hand down to her waist to catch her. "I can't believe I actually remember which way I went. I was in such a panic I remember thinking I was gonna barf."

I laughed at that. "It's the spy blood in you."

"I was also praying the spiders wouldn't gang up and attack me."

"Is it bad that I'm thinking that right now? I can sense them watching us."

"They're gonna surround us and tickle us with their creepy legs," Cammie giggled.

Suddenly, we turned a corner and a bright light hit my eyes. I blinked and let my eyes adjust, and Cammie went quiet. There was a soft breeze blowing in from the broken window, and Cammie went over to the little window seat and picked up the dusty pillow.

It wasn't a pillow exactly, more like a little couch cushion.

She traced the threaded letters with her finger, a dazed expression on her face.

"This was his pillow...he hugged this when he was sad and slept on it when he was tired. This is the first thing that actually tells me that my birth father is _real, _you know? It's..." she sat down hard on the window seat.

"Hard to grasp, I know." I sat next to her and rubbed her back. She clutched the dirty pillow to her chest and swung her feet back and forth lightly. She exhaled and leaned against me. I pulled her into me and laid down myself, exhaustion taking over my body and brain. Cammie slipped over so that her head was pressed into my chest, and I felt a few tears soak into my shirt. The pillow was clutched between us, and I slung an arm around her waist and used my other arm as a pillow for both of our heads after she scooted up to level my face with hers. She looked at me with her wide, sad eyes and I leaned over and kissed the tip of her slightly freckled nose.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Cam. You'll train and you'll be strong, stronger than most of the spies at this school. And we'll figure out why the Circle wants you and defeat them, and you can pay your adopted father a visit and give him a smacking or two, if you want."

She shook her head.

"Can I? Give him a smacking? Or two? Or five?"

Cammie's mouth quirked up, but she shook her head again.

So we laid there together in silence, the slight evening breeze cooling our backs, the only thing Cammie had from her father pressed in-between us. We shared small smiles and laughs and pecks, and I held her protectively to my body. The cushion under us was ratty and dusty, but neither of us cared.

The setting sun illuminated the stones in the passageway to a dull yellow, and made Cammie's eyes a light, shimmering blue. It set her hair aflame and bathed her in light.

"You're beautiful," I whispered.

She placed a hand on my cheek, and looked at me, searching my face, not seeming to know how to respond. Her eyebrows pushed together as if she's never heard it before.

"I mean it. You really are."

Cammie smiled and kissed me.

"Thank you," she breathed. "Thank you for everything."

We laid there, watching the sun set and the darkness settle in over everything, watching the stars come up ahead.

We fell asleep there, wrapped together, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I prayed we wouldn't roll over in our sleep and fall out the window.

Again.

**Sorry for the wait, guys! **

**I really hope you liked this chapter!**

**I've been having writers' block for this story lately, so blehh. D: **

**But I will see you guys soon. I hope you're all well. ^_^ **

**Bye, until next time! [: **


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